The president made a surprise call to C-SPAN Monday evening, opening with an unexplained burst of laughter in the background before fielding questions on immigration, the war in Iran and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s possible impeachment.
“It looks like we’ve got a call from the White House, um, Mr. President, welcome to Washington Journal Primetime,” host Mimi Geerges said shortly after the new call-in show debuted at 9 p.m.
asserted
show → make → Primetime
As Trump joined the broadcast, a woman could be heard laughing on his end of the line.
uncertain
woman → join → line
Her identity was unclear, but that didn’t stop speculation online.
uncertain
that → stop → speculation
“Who’s giggling in the background?
asserted
Who → giggle → background
Natalie?” one X user wrote, referring to Natalie Harp, the president’s ever-present aide.
asserted
user → write → Harp
The Independent reported last week that Harp has recently taken to screening the president’s incoming phone calls.
asserted
Harp → report → calls
Geerges opened by asking Trump, who she’d heard was a C-SPAN viewer, which program he liked to watch.
asserted
he → open → program
“Well, I like to watch the call-ins because it gives me a little bit of an indication of where we are,” the 80-year-old president said.
asserted
president → like → indication
“We have some great Republicans calling in, I'm not so sure the Democrats, but the Republicans seem to be…
asserted
Republicans → have → ?
”
Turning to immigration, Geerges noted that Trump had expressed a willingness to work on reform with Democrats, who reclaimed the House and Senate in last week’s midterm elections.
asserted
who → turn → elections
She asked if he would halt certain deportations.
asserted
he → ask → deportations
“Well, first of all, we stopped the worst inflow of people coming from all over the world, from prisons, from gang members, drug dealers,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → stop → members
“And they were pouring in by the millions under [President Joe] Biden.”
Geerges pressed him on the fate of “honest people” who are “trying to make a life and [are] paying their taxes,” including hotel workers, waitresses and farm workers.
asserted
who → pour → workers
“We certainly haven’t put the same push on them as we have on the murderers or the drug dealers,” Trump replied.
asserted
Trump → put → murderers
He then repeated his unsubstantiated claim that people from mental institutions are “being dumped into our country.”
uncertain
people → repeat → country
Just days earlier, Trump had promoted Stephen Miller, the architect of the president’s hardline immigration agenda, to White House chief of staff.
asserted
Trump → promote → staff
The conversation then turned to Hegseth.
asserted
conversation → turn → Hegseth
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, filed articles of impeachment against the defense secretary on Monday, setting up a possible vote as early as Tuesday.
asserted
Massie → file → Tuesday
Citing a Fox News report that some Republicans could support impeachment, Geerges asked Trump how he would respond.
uncertain
he → cite → Trump
“Well, I would be disappointed,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → disappoint → ?
“Look, Pete has won two wars.”
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Pete → look → wars
“We’ve won tremendously Venezuela in 48 minutes, and we’ve taken out hundreds of billions of dollars…
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we → win → dollars
It’s a gold mine and we’re doing very well there,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → ?
“We won Iran.
asserted
We → win → Iran
We wiped out their navy, we wiped out their air force, we wiped out everything.”
asserted
we → wipe → everything
But when Geerges asked how much longer the Iran war would last — eight months into the unpopular conflict and with no end in sight — Trump offered no clear timeline.
asserted
Trump → ask → timeline
“It depends, we could knock it out fast or we could knock it out over a short, not a long period of time, you know,” he said, adding that he may target a nuclear enrichment site known as Pickaxe Mountain.
uncertain
he → depend → Mountain
After eight minutes, Geerges hastily thanked Trump for calling in and extended an open invitation to return.
asserted
Geerges → thank → invitation
“You do a great job, and good luck with everything,” Trump said before hanging up.
asserted
Trump → do → everything
“It’s my honor to be one of your early calls.”
asserted
It → ’ → calls
Trump, an avid television viewer, has called into news programs in the past.
asserted
Trump → call → past
On election night last week, he dialed into Fox News, where he congratulated Democrats on their midterm victories.
asserted
he → dial → victories
Since then, he’s reversed course and questioned the integrity of those elections.
asserted
he → reverse → elections
The Aporia
